The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays a £7,500 grant towards an air-source or ground-source heat pump in England and Wales, raised to £9,000 for homes currently heated by oil or LPG from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. Your MCS-certified installer applies for the voucher through Ofgem and deducts the grant from your quote — no EPC has been required since 28 April 2026.
Who qualifies for the £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
The £9,000 rate applies to properties in England and Wales that currently heat with oil or LPG and install an air-source or ground-source heat pump — an uplift announced to run from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027. Everyone else replacing a fossil-fuel or electric heating system receives the standard £7,500. The scheme covers domestic properties and small non-domestic buildings up to 45 kW of thermal capacity, and it now extends to shared-ground-loop ground-source systems in new developments. Funding runs to 2029/30 under the Warm Homes Plan launched in January 2026 — a programme of roughly £13–15 billion targeting 5 million homes by 2030. Scotland runs its own separate Home Energy Scotland grant-and-loan scheme, so Scottish households should check those rules instead. Whether a new build or self-build qualifies follows separate logic — see do new builds qualify for heating grants.
What does the scheme pay in 2026/27?
The grant depends on the technology installed, and 2026 widened the list for the first time since launch:
| System installed | Grant (2026/27) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Air-to-water heat pump | £7,500 — £9,000 announced for oil/LPG homes to 31 March 2027 | The core measure; most vouchers issued |
| Ground-source heat pump (incl. shared loops) | £7,500 — same announced £9,000 uplift | Shared loops in new-builds now eligible |
| Air-to-air heat pump | £2,500 | Funded for the first time; MCS standard MIS 3005-D updated December 2025 to cover it |
| Heat battery | £2,500 | New category from 2026 |
| Biomass boiler | Eligible only in rural off-gas properties — check the current amount at ofgem.gov.uk | Emissions limits apply |
Because the uplift and the new £2,500 categories were announced as part of the 2026 changes, always confirm the live amounts on the official Ofgem scheme pages before signing a contract.
How do I apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
You don't apply directly — your MCS-certified installer does. The installer confirms eligibility, applies to Ofgem for the voucher, and deducts the full grant from your quote, so you only ever pay the net price. Since 28 April 2026 no EPC is needed to apply, and digital claims by MCS installers have cut voucher processing to around 5 working days. The practical steps: get quotes from MCS-certified firms, choose one, and let them handle the paperwork — how to choose a heat pump installer covers what separates a good quote from a cheap one, and when does a heat pump grant actually get paid explains the money flow. The heat pump itself must be MCS-certified with published performance data — as a manufacturer, Solimpeks publishes detailed efficiency data for its heat pump ranges (the Varm Up Series lists heating COPs of up to 4.92) precisely because grant schemes across Europe demand documented performance.
Does the Boiler Upgrade Scheme cover solar thermal or cylinders?
No — solar thermal is not funded by the BUS, but it benefits from 0% VAT on energy-saving materials (including solar thermal, heat pumps and controls) until 31 March 2027, after which the rate is set to revert to 5%. That zero rate applies to the whole installed job, materials and labour — details in what VAT rate applies to heat pump and solar installations and the wider picture in solar thermal subsidies 2026. A new hot water cylinder is normally installed as part of the heat pump works. Low-income households have a parallel route: ECO4 was extended to 31 December 2026, with the council-run Warm Homes: Local Grant as its successor.
How does the BUS compare with other European grants?
The UK grant is a simple flat amount, which makes it fast but not the largest in Europe: Germany's reformed BEG covers 30–70% of eligible costs (up to 80% for the lowest-income households), and Ireland doubled its grant to up to €12,500 in February 2026 — see Ireland's SEAI heat pump grant and the full country-by-country comparison in heat pump grants in Europe 2026. The direction of travel is shared: fossil boilers get nothing, and time-limited uplifts like the £9,000 rate reward early movers.
Frequently asked questions
When does the £9,000 Boiler Upgrade Scheme rate end?
The uplift for oil- and LPG-heated homes was announced to run from 21 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, after which the standard £7,500 applies. Check the current rules at ofgem.gov.uk before committing, as scheme terms can change.
Do I need an EPC to get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant?
No. The EPC requirement was removed on 28 April 2026, so you no longer need an energy performance certificate — or to clear loft-insulation recommendations — to apply. Your MCS installer confirms eligibility as part of the voucher application.
Can I get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant for solar thermal panels?
No, solar thermal is not a BUS measure. It is instead supported through 0% VAT on energy-saving materials until 31 March 2027, which cuts roughly a sixth off the gross installed price compared with the standard VAT rate.
Who receives the Boiler Upgrade Scheme money?
The installer does. Your MCS-certified installer applies to Ofgem, receives the voucher payment, and passes the value on by deducting the full grant from your invoice — you only ever pay the difference.